SUVs are an increasingly popular choice for many South Africans, and electric vehicles have seen a big uptake among those who are able to afford them.
Overlapping these vehicle trends, you can find the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-tron 55 Advanced – two electric SUVs in a similar price range.
We look at what each will you get for roughly R2 million, below.
Performance
As both the e-tron 55 and I-Pace are electric, they share similarities that are often standard with the technology.
Both are all-wheel-drive, and both have an automatic transmissions – with the main difference coming down to the size and power of their respective batteries.
The Jaguar has a 90kWh battery, which in tandem with its motors, generates 294kW and 696Nm.
Audi’s 95kWh battery, lets its two motors produce 300kW and 664Nm.
This gives the Jaguar and Audi a 0-100km/h time of 4.8 and 5.7 seconds, respectively. Both cars also have a top speed of 200km/h.
For traditional SUV buyers who are wondering if these electric models can still perform the tasks of their petrol counterparts, the Jaguar has a maximum towing capacity of 750kg.
The Audi, however, comes in with a towing capacity of 1,800kg.
Range and charging times are equally important.
The I-Pace has a stated range of 470km, and a fast-charge time of 44 minutes to provide 304km of range, according to ev-database.org.
The e-tron has a range of 440km and a fast-charge time of 26 minutes for 292km of range.
Looks
In terms of size, the Jaguar has dimensions of 4,682mm x 2,139mm x 1,565mm in comparison to the Audi’s 4,901mm x 2,189mm x 1,629mm, making the Audi the larger vehicle.
This is reflected in the total interior space, as the e-tron has a total of 1,725 litres, compared to the I-Pace’s 1,453 litres.
In terms of appearances, both vehicles have 20-inch alloys, LED headlights, and daytime running lights.
The Jaguar differentiates itself with rear fog lights, a fixed panoramic roof, and a black gloss finish on the rear bumper, lower front blades, and door cladding.
Audi’s visual trim then includes contrasting colour-coded bumpers and aluminum scuff plates and roof rails.
Moving inside
The I-Pace and e-tron are both decked out with a host of features one might expect from a premium SUV.
Starting with the Jaguar, you will find leather upholstery, a push-start button, adaptive cruise control, two-zone climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, LED reading lights for the back seats, metal tread plates, a 10-inch infotainment screen, a second touchscreen on the centre console, and wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay support with voice control.
Not to be outdone, the Audi sports Milano leather seats, front seat heaters with lumbar support, four-zone climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, glossy black aluminum buttons with haptic feedback on its instrument panels, a contour lighting package, cruise control, and a Bang and Olufsen sound system.
For safety and driving features, the Jaguar incorporates its all-surface progress control system – which it describes as a special cruise control for under 30km/h which adjusts the car’s settings for various terrain types like mud and ice.
It also includes hill launch assist, high-beam assist and adaptive driving beams on its headlights, dynamic stability control, driver condition monitoring, lane keep assist, blind-spot assist, a rear camera, front and rear parking aid, rain sensing wipers, a heated rear window and side mirrors, and six airbags.
In comparison, the Audi’s safety features entail dynamic light sensing headlights, rear sensors, a rear camera, lane change assist with exit warning, lane departure warning, rain-sensing wipers, a heated windscreen and side mirrors, and six airbags.
Pricing and warranty
The South African pricing for the Jaguar I-Pace EV400 AWD S Black is R2,004,800.
This includes a 5-year/100,000km warranty and maintenance plan, and a separate 8-year/160,000km warranty on the battery.
The South African pricing for the Audi e-tron 55 Quattro Advanced is R1,990,000.
Buyers can expect Audi’s Freeway plan, which includes a 5-year/100,000km warranty and maintenance plan.
Jaguar I-Pace
Audi e-tron 55 Advanced
Keyword: Jaguar I-Pace vs Audi e-tron 55 Quattro Advanced – Electric SUV head-to-head